Being in the field of journalism means that a lot of people aren't going to like you.
Whether it's television, radio or print journalism, there is a lot of hostility toward the media. It's not something to complain about because it just comes with the territory. People shouldn't join this field unless they are ready to hear people tell them they are wrong and stupid.
I never really understood this until I had the opportunity to travel to California and work with several college journalists last weekend. After that experience, it's only appropriate to steal a line from Chris Rock: "I don't think you should hate journalists, but 'I understand.'"
During the press conference, I was able to see just exactly how other people go about getting their stories. As the press conference progressed, I heard stupid pointless question after stupid pointless question. While conversing with Rock, who is about to release a new movie in which he ends up running for president, aspiring journalists' questions made me feel so bad about myself that I wanted to curl up and die of embarrassment.
The movie in question is a comedy - meaning not something to be taken seriously. In other words, comedies are just for fun. With that in mind, the hot question that all the journalists wanted an "honest answer" to was whether or not the comedian was thinking about a career in politics.
It is obvious that he is interested in a career in comedy and not politics, but the question was asked about nine times throughout the course of an hour.
The time spent in the conference went to waste. Little information was gained because of the ignorance that seemed to overwhelm these people. At first I thought it was just inexperience. After listening to the same question in nine different ways, however, that excuse lost clout.
Even when you move on to more seasoned media, they're still wasting your time (despite Channel 15 News' slogan). When the people of Arizona wake up, they don't get to hear about any new developments or anything important that happened while they slept. Instead, they get to see a bunch of adults acting like 13-year-old girls at a slumber party.
Depending on what time of year it is, you can turn on Channel 3 News in the morning and watch Brad Perry walk around pumpkin patches, play with dolphins or corral pine trees. If you change to Channel 10 News, though, you get to experience something that will change the face of television news: nicknames.
The plan at Channel 10 was to give one of its anchors a nickname. They probably thought it would make him seem cooler, hipper and more edgy. Maybe the goal was to attract a more youthful or vigilante demographic.
Channel 10 was thinking that if it started calling Ron Hoon "The Hooner," then maybe the Hell's Angels would start watching. After all, the Hell's Angels all have cool nicknames. However, if someone were to walk up to the Hell's Angels and say, "They call me 'The Hooner,'" he'd better hope his ass is ready for a beating.
With all these important things going on, it's no wonder Arizona now has a channel dedicated to "news" for 24 hours a day (courtesy of Channel 3). So, if you ever kidnap people and want to torture them, forget about zapping their testicles with a car battery. Turn that on and just let them be miserable.
But print journalism isn't free of stupidity either.
The Jan. 27 issue of The State Press ran an Associated Press preview of the State of the Union address. The final quotation in the article came from White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. For some reason, the reporter decided to use the following quote: "There's a sausage machine on Capitol Hill. We gave the sausage machine all of the right ingredients; they have to churn, and I'm confident that when they turn that sausage out it'll be the right kind of sausage for America."
What is that? When did the story suddenly take a turn into the butcher shop? I know Card, not the journalist, is the one who said it. But there was absolutely no reason to use a quote of such retarded proportions in a story about the State of the Union address. How can any newspaper expect to be taken seriously when reporters pull that kind of stunt?
After the stupid questions, stupid quotes and stupid antics of some of the press, it is obvious why people don't respect journalists. I'm not saying that you should hate journalists, but I understand.
Chris Fanning is journalism sophomore. Reach him at christopher.fanning@asu.edu.
